How To Master the Art of Perseverance

Getting out of debt requires a good deal of perseverance because it’s not usually something that can be done quickly. You might be able to increase your income in one month or reduce your spending in one month, but you probably won’t be able to eradicate your debt in one month (unless you win the lottery!).

Focus on Short-Term Victories
One of the things that can paralyze you and impede your progress toward achieving your goal is to focus only on the big picture. If you do that, it will seem like you’re not getting anywhere because your goal is inherently a long-term goal (remember, we’re talking about perseverance for a reason).

If you hired a construction team to build you a new house, and then you judged their success based on how the house looked after the first week, you’d be pretty disappointed. The ‘house’ wouldn’t look like much at that point because it would mostly just be a foundation. But of course the foundation would eventually make the rest of the house possible. By the same token, it would be silly to judge your short-term progress based on long-term measurements.

If you judge yourself only on your progress paying off all your debt, you might get discouraged at how long it seems to be taking. But if you focus on paying off just one account, you can see yourself getting closer — and that will keep you motivated. As users of ReadyForZero know, we show you short-term goals, such as paying off 25%, 50%, and then 75% of your account, to help you stay focused.

We do this because we know how important it is to appreciate your short-term victories. Over time, your perseverance will help you reach your goals and get out of debt. If you want, read the whole article on perseverance over at DLM. And let us know your tips for staying motivated!

This post was published by Ben, Content Manager and Writer for » ReadyForZero.
ReadyForZero is a company that helps people get out of debt on their own with a simple and free online tool that can automate and track your debt paydown.

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